1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a personal cleansing system and more particularly to personal cleansing system using a water-resistant wiping article dispenser and substantially dry wiping articles contained therein.
2. The Related Art
Disposable cleansing wiping articles are in widespread use for a variety of cleansing operations. Typically, these disposable wiping articles are individually folded and wrapped in flexible or rigid plastic or in metal foil-type packages. These wiping article dispensers suffer from the disadvantage that the user must open a lid or flap to retrieve an individual wiping article and in so doing, risk contaminating the other wiping articles or taking out more than one wiping article at a time. This is inconvenient and can potentially contaminate the entire stack of disposable wiping articles in the dispenser.
More recently it has been found that disposable cleansing wiping articles can serve as a disposable cleansing implement for personal hygiene in, for example, a shower or bath. In this instance it would be desirable to have a dispenser for disposable wiping articles that can be used in the shower or bath, that was not subject to contamination from the shower or by the user, was convenient to use, and facilitated dispensing one wiping article at a time in conjunction with personal cleansing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,553,275 issued to J. Goldstein on Nov. 19, 1985 discloses a dispenser for soap-impregnated wash cloths adapted for mounting on a shower or bathroom wall. This dispenser is disadvantageous in that it may allow shower spray to contact and contaminate the wash cloths stored therein.
PCT publication WO 00/33713 to J. Spencer et al., published on Jun. 15, 2000 discloses a container and cartridge for dispensing controlled amounts of paper products. This dispenser is disadvantageous for use in a shower environment because the slot is exposed to shower spray, and the towels that are arranged adjacent to the slot may become contaminated with water from the shower.
EP Patent Application No. 1078594 to I. Fischer, published on Sep. 14, 2000, discloses a flat wiping article dispensing device which is designed to dispense paper or more moist towels and the like. This dispenser is likewise disadvantageous because the towels are dispensed through a side slot, which is exposed to contamination from shower spray. Fisher""s device is also cumbersome to use because a panel must be depressed in order to cause a towel to be ejected from the side slot.
There is thus a need for a personal cleansing system comprising a substantially dry cleansing wiping article dispenser containing a plurality of wiping articles. Preferably the wiping articles are readily separable from a stack and are dispensed one at a time from a dispenser. The dispenser should be sealed from contamination from both the user and from the shower and both provide a way of securing the dispenser to the shower area and a sealing mechanism for preventing contamination of the wiping articles. It would be additionally desirable for the dispenser to accept a replacement refill conveniently.
In one aspect the inventive personal cleansing system utilizes a wiping article dispenser that is suitable for personal cleansing in the shower or bath and that both keeps the wiping articles dry and allows easy dispensing and refilling. Advantageously the cleansing wiping article dispenser is appropriately secured to the outside surface in the shower, such as a shower curtain rod or wall fixture so as to be convenient to use. Preferably wiping articles that are sufficiently stiff and flexible when wet for body washing application are used. More preferably these wiping articles are substantially dry before use.
In another aspect of this invention is a method for cleansing a human body within a water shower installation, comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a dispenser for a plurality of substantially dry, single use disposable wiping articles, each of the articles comprising a water-insoluble substrate and a lathering surfactant, the dispenser being water impermeable; the dispenser including:
a shell enclosing the plurality of wiping articles,
a slot formed along the shell having an opening bounded by a closure means displaceable between an open and a closed position, the open position allowing removal of the wiping articles, and
a support device secured to the shell;
(b) securing the dispenser via the support device to a member of the shower installation;
(c) removing a wiping article from the dispenser;
(d) lathering with water the removed wiping article;
(e) applying the lathered article to the body; and
(f) rinsing the lathered body with a water spray.
As used herein, xe2x80x9csubstantially dryxe2x80x9d means that the wiping articles of the present invention exhibit a Moisture Retention of less than about 0.3 gms, preferably less than about 0.25 gms, even more preferably, less than about 0.15 gms, and even more preferably less than about 0.1 gms. A suitable method for the determination of Moisture Retention is provided below. By a xe2x80x9clathering surfactantxe2x80x9d is meant a surfactant, which when combined with water and mechanically agitated generates a foam or lather. Preferably the lathering surfactant concentration is in the range of about 0.1 to about 40% by weight of the wiping article. By xe2x80x9cwater insolublexe2x80x9d is meant the substrate does not dissolve or readily break apart upon immersion in water. Advantageously the wiping article further comprises a skin-conditioning agent other than a C8-C20 fatty acid in an amount from about 0.1 to about 40% by weight of the wiping article. Preferably the wiping articles are contained in a refill package.
The wiping article dispenser is advantageously secured to a member of a shower installation by a support device selected from mechanical couplers, suction couplers, adhesive, magnetic couplers, and combinations thereof. Preferably these are a hook, an adhesive, a VELCRO(trademark) fastener, a cord and combinations thereof. Shower installation members are defined as any surface or fixture within or adjacent to a shower installation that is within reach of the user, e.g. shower walls, doors, plumbing fixtures, shower curtain rod, shelves, and the like. Advantageously the wiping article dispenser contains a plurality of wiping articles, preferably in the range of from about 2 to about 100. The wiping article dispenser protects the wiping articles from contacting the water spray from the shower. Preferably the dispenser prevents shower water from entering to an extent that any of the plurality of wiping articles absorb no more than about 5% by weight of shower water per article during the rinsing step, more preferably no more than about 2% by weight of shower water per article.